Chapter 38: Chapter 38
Kane POV
“A vampire, what?” I swear, you can scoop my jaw from the floor.
“You’re fucking with me, aren’t you?” I chuckle nervously. There are no vampires in our region. In fact, there are no such things as vampires.
“No, I’m not,” Gustav shakes his head. “I know it’s not ideal.”
Speechless, I gape at him.
When Father handed over the Alpha title and responsibilities, he never once mentioned that we would be dealing with the undead. When did vampires become a thing to worry about?
“Don’t worry, we’re not blaming you and Axel,” Gustav reassures me. “At least not yet. Given who your mother and father are, I’m not surprised one came sniffing around our territory.”
Wait ... what the hell does Mom and Dad have to do with vampires skulking around in our territory? And why are we to be blamed? We have not had a breach at the borders since the Great Wars. How does any of this make sense?
“It was bound to happen at some point.” He waves his hand dismissively.
“Are you ...”
“You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?” Gustav interrupts me, narrowing his eyes, and a wicked smile creeps across his lips.
I cannot believe Dad left us in the dark like this. We were supposed to be in control of the situation. We were supposed to have the Elders and the Council in our back pocket, but why the hell would they respect us if we looked like total dumbasses?
“I ...I don’t believe Father has relayed this information to us,” I finally admit.
“Maybe we did our jobs a little too well,” Gustav scrubs a bony hand over his face and puffs out a full breath of air.
I knew these guys were hiding shit from us, but vampires?
“Are they a threat?” I ask the obvious. The stories I heard about vampires made them sound bloodthirsty and unpredictable. They did not seem like creatures who would get along with our kind.
“We’ve only located a single vampire, and his intentions remain unclear.” his face is stony, and his voice is ice-cold. “But I believe he should be treated as one.”
“Meaning?” I raise my eyebrows.
“Meaning if he is seen again, he will be killed on the spot,” he replies bluntly.
“I don’t understand,” I say, my mind racing. I am not even sure how to kill a vampire. Do stakes and holy water work like in the stories? “Are my parents and the Elders the only ones who know about this?”
If that were the case, then how many of us shifters are clueless about other supernatural beings? How are we supposed to look out for vampire invaders if we do not even know they exist?
“There are a few people who know,” Gustav rests his chin in his hand, his eyes glued to me. “They vowed to keep the existence of the others a secret. One that they’d take to their grave. But still, I’m surprised they didn’t at least tell their sons, the Alphas of the Constantine, especially considering your mate’s involvement.”
Our mate?
Suddenly, I feel a jolt of familiarity and think back to what Elara said when she first struck her deal with us.
I’ll disappear, like a vampire or witch or something.
Does she know about vampires? But how can she know when I do not?
Then it strikes me ... Braden.
I knew there was something off about that motherfucker the second I smelled him. And Elara had run off earlier, possibly to see him again.
Fuck.
I must learn more about vampires, and more importantly, how to kill them. Because the next time I see Elara with that bloodsucking asshole, I am going to turn him into dust.
Axel POV
I unlock the latch to Alice’s door just long enough to slip inside. I understand why Kane locked her in, but that does not mean I agree with his methods. Knowing Alice, the more we push her, the more pissed off she gets. We need to know where she was last night, and I am not leaving until I have answers.
I find her sprawled out on the bed, her cheeks and eyes still red from shouting and crying. She sits up when I enter the room, and her eyes fill with tears again.
“Oh, goddess, here we go,” my wolf complains.
For once, I did not shut Blade up. Now that I am no longer blind to Alice’s manipulation tactics, I am starting to realise that he has been right about her all along. She acts all sweet and hurt and then uses me to get what she wants. Not today.
Alice holds her arms out as if pulling me toward her, and I reluctantly join her on the bed.
“Oh, Axel, you came back for me,” she whines.
I take a deep breath, but I can feel the hot fury bubbling in my veins already. That whining little girl voice really does grate on my last fucking nerve.
“Kane was being so mean to me,” She pouts, reaching out and running her finger down my arm. “He doesn’t understand me like you do.”
“Alice, we must know where you were last night.” I search her face for any sign that she is close to confessing. “It’s not a hard question; you’re doing this to yourself.”
She climbs off the bed and stands before me, breathing heavily through her nose.
“I can’t believe you’re trying to tell me Kane was right to lock me in here!” She waves her arm around the room, and I must stifle a laugh.
We are inside a luxury bedroom, and outside these doors is a whole ass furnished apartment with anything she could possibly need. Alice is locked inside a fucking castle.
“Maybe I wouldn’t have done the same thing,” I admit, “but you can’t keep getting away with this shit, Alice. You’re a Luna now.”
Is that even true anymore? We all but decided we want Elara, anyway.
“And with Alice out of the way, we could have her any way we’d like,” Blade growls and paws at my chest.
Goddess, Elara is driving us both crazy.
“Fuck being a Luna,” Alice plants her hands on her hips.
“Alice, ...”
She dives out of the bedroom before I finish my sentence and runs straight toward the front door. But I am faster and stronger. I sprint out and dive in front of her before a finger can even touch the knob.
“Back the fuck away,” I snarl.
She cowers, her eyes shining with tears again.
“Don’t make me do something I’ll regret, Alice.” I step toward her slowly, and she backs away, step by step.
“I’m going to ask you one more time,” I say, my voice rumbling with my wolf’s fury. “Where were you last night?”
“If you really must know,” Alice stops and puffs out her chest. “I was with your father.”
